Université de Rennes (UMR 6553 Ecobio)

Located in a rural, agricultural region in continental Brittany, North-West France, the Biological Field Station of Paimpont (Station Biologique de Paimpont, SBP) offers since 1967 an excellent outdoor laboratory (17 ha), including two ZNIEFF zones (national inventory of natural heritage sites) and a part of the site Natura 2000 "Paimpont Forest", for studies of spatio-temporal ecosystem changes. The missions of the SBP are to preserve ecological integrity of the area, while providing opportunities for scientific research, student field work, and public education. This station is attached to the University of Rennes and hosts scientists (UMR CNRS 6553 EcoBio and UMR CNRS 6552 EthoS) and their collaborators from many different disciplines and countries. The SBP is particularly attractive because of its location in the socio-ecosystem of the Brocéliande Forest which is composed of arable fields with remainders of a historical hedgerow system as well as of mixed wood forest (deciduous/hardwood and softwood), moors, meadows, wetlands, many ponds and creeks. Because of this diversity of habitats, SBP has been the site of a variety of innovative research studies, including the ecology of mammals, birds and insects; fire ecology; phytosociology of bogs, cliffs and forest; landscape ecology; and soil biology. Currently, the SBP develops interdisciplinary socio-ecological research and fosters citizen science approaches.